Door buffer



J. GALAMB.

DOOR BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-3.192 1 ,4Q3,52 1 Patented July 25, 1922.

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JOSEPH GALAMB, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 FORD MOTOR COMPANY, OF HIGHLAND PA, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DOOR BUFFER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1922.

Application filed January 3, 1921. Serial No. 434,631.

Improvements in a Door Buffer, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and useful door bufler of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device adapted to govern the meet-- ing of a door with a door jamb to it .-..l.mize the effect of slamming the door.

A further object of my invention is to providesuch a device arranged to prevent the rattling or vibration of a door when the latter is in closed position.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a device having one member secured to a door and the other member secured to the door frame, which is so arranged that the co-acting members may first absorb the impact of slamming a door and the resistance of the members maybe increased automatically in proportion to the impact of the closing door.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a device which is particularly adapted for use on a motor vehicle.

A further object ofmy invention .is to form a portion of my buffer from a part of the door panel.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and construction of the various parts of my improved device, as described in the specification, claimed in my claims', and shown in the accompanying rawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a plan View of'my improved device installed on a door, and door frame,

Figure 2 shows a central sectional View through the device and illustrates the manner of its installation,

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views of the portion of the device which is secured to the door,

Figures 5 and 6 are detail views illustrat ingtheconstruction of the contact members which are fixed to the door frame,

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views illustrating the retaining member mounted on the door frame,

Figures 9 and 10 are detail views of the resilient member employed in connection with my device,

Figure 11 is a. plan view of a portion of a blank for a door panel having dotted lines thereon to illustrate the manner of cutting and forming a panel blank to thereby make the1 door assem ly part of the door itself, an

Figures 12, 13 and '14 are side, end and sectional views of a door formed from the blank illustrated in Figure 11.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 11 to indicate generally a part of a door, and the reference numeral 10 to indicate the door frame. It will be understood that the designation of these parts is merely used for illustration to more clearly indicate the manner of use of my improved device, and that the parts of my device may be mounted interchangeably on either the door or door frame. Mounted on the door 11 is a sup porting device illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. This consists of a strip of sheet metal having an intermediate portion 12 and end portions 13 and 14, which are bent and flanged to form roller receiving pockets at either end. of the intermediate portion 12. Mounted within these pockets 13 and 14 upon the attaching screws 15 and 16 are the rollers 17 which contact with the portion of the device mounted on the door. These rollers 17 are rotatably mounted on the screws 15 and 16 and have counter-sunk portions 18 at one end of the openings therethrough adapted to receive a counter-sunk portion of the pockets 13 and 14. These counter-sunk portions co-act to form additional bearing surfaces for the rollers and also form a receiving pocket for the heads of the screws 15 and 16. The door member or assembly which includes the supporting member, rollers 17 and screws 15 and 16 is mounted within a recess in the door 11 in such position taching screws. The ends of this member are turned up to form flanges 20 which in turn are slightly curled at their ends to form ears 21. In the center of this supporting member is a block illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 and composed of resilient, compressible material, such for instance as rubber or rubber compound, and at either side of the resilient block are contact members 22 such as are illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. These contact members 22 have rounded end portions 23 which terminate in small ears 24. The two ears 24 engage the ears 21- as is clearly illustrated in Figure 1, and prevent the contact members 22 from being forced out of the door assembly by the resiliency of the resilient member 25. The door frame assembly is. fastened to the door frame by screws 26 which extend through the body portion of the supporting member, through openings in the resilient block 25, into the door frame.

If thedoor assembly and frame assembly be mounted upon a door and frame respectively in such position that the supporting screws 26 will lie in a plane substantially midway between the rollers 17 then it will be seen that swinging the door to will cause both rollers 17 to impinge against contact members 22 simultaneously. Due to the Width of the. door frame assembly supporting member, the contacts 22 are spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the distance between the rollers 17 so that these contacts will normally be in the position illustrated by the .dotted lines 27 in-Figure 1. Due to the curve of the surface of the rollers 17 and due to the rounding of the ends 23 of the contacts 22 the impact of the rollers against the contacts will tend to force the contacts 22 toward each other thereby compressing the block 25, which in turn will absorb the force of the impact of slamming the door. In this connection it will be noted that the rollers 17 and contacts 22 are of metal and the meeting surfaces are rounded so that wear due to constant use of the door will be very slight. Furthermore the resilient block is not subjected to any abrading action but only to compression. It will be further noted that the shape of the meeting faces of the rollers 17 and blocks 22 is such that variations in the force of the impact will cause a corresirable in the construction of automobile bodies.

Where the form of door is used that is illustrated in Figures 11 to 14, inclusive, then the metal door panel may be shaped to form a support for the rollers for my improved buffer. The panel 35 would, under ordinary circumstances, be bent upon the dotted lines 36 to form one edge 37 of a door. This edge or portion 37 may be blanked out on the lines 38, 39 and 40 to form the recesses to receive the rollers 17 and the door frame assembly. Tongues 41 are bent on lines 42 inwardly toward the central portion of the door panel. A retaining bar 44 is then offset at either end and secured to the edge portion 37 by any suitable means, as by rivets 45. I prefer to so arrange these rivets that the ends thereof may be filed off to make them flush with the surfaces of the retaining member 44 and edge portion 37. Mounted in the curved recesses formed by glanking on the lines 39 are the rollers 17 and these are pivotally mounted on the pins 46 which are shown in dotted lines in Figure 12. These rivets or pins have an upset end portion 47 designed to co-act with a corresponding annular recess in the roller 17 to prevent these rollers from coming out of the assembly. An enlarged shank portion 48 spaces the upset portion, 47 from the retainer 44 sufficiently to allow the rollers 17 to rotate freely. This form of device illustrated in Figures 11 to 14 may also be formed by first bending over the edge portion 37 of the door panel and then forcing an oblong .male die member against this edge portion to form a recess therein of an oblong shape adapted to substantially fit the door frame assembly. The curved recesses indicated by the dotted lines 39 may then be punched out to receive the rollers 17.

Some changes may be made in the arrangement and construction of the various parts of my improved device without departing from the spirit of-- the invention therein and it is my intention to cover by my claims such changes as may reasonably be included within the scope thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described door and door frame members, one of said members having a compressible device associated therewith and a contact device co-acting with said compressible device, and the other member having a rotating device associated therewith to contact with said contact device.

2. In a device of the class described an assembly having spaced rollers thereon, a second assembly having spaced contacts thereon adapted to co-act with said rollers, and a compressible block mounted between said contact members adapted to absorb the force of the contact between said contact members and rollers.

3. In a device of the class described. a supporting member adapted to be secured to a door frame comprising an intermediate portion and pockets formed at either end thereof. rollers mounted in said pockets and adapted to project therefrom, a second assembly supporting member having flanges at either end thereof provided with ears at the ends of aid flanges, contact members mounted betwec said flanges and provided with ears adapted to co-act with the first mentioned ears, and a compressible block mounted between said contact members and said flanges, whereby when said contact members are forced between said rollers said block may be compressed.

4. In a device of the class described, a

support having spaced rollersthereon, a second support having spaced contacts thereon, a compressible block disposed between said contact members and normally, yieldingly holding their Wearing faces spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between said rollers whereby forcingthe second assembly between the first assembly may compress said block.

5. In a device of the class described spaced rollers, spaced contact members having their wearing faces normally, yieldingly in position spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between said rollers, said contact members having a round face adapted to contact with said rollers whereby the contacts may resist being forced together by the rollers with a resistance proportional to the impact of the contacts with the rollers.

6. In a device of the class described, a pair of members movable toward and from each other, a roller mounted on one of said members, a contact device mounted on the other member to co-act with the roller when said members are brought together, and a compressible member associated with said roller and contact to absorb part of the force of the impact of one against the other.

7. In a device of the class described. door and door members, spaced devices mounted on each of said members, the devices on one of said members being movable and means for yieldingly holding said movable devices at one limit of their movement.

JOSEPH GALAMB. Witness:

SARzLo FARKAS. 

